Al-Nassr suffered their first defeat of the season in the Saudi Professional League, losing 1-2 to visiting Al-Qadisiyah at Al-Awal Park stadium on Friday evening in the 11th round of the competition.
Al-Nassr took the lead with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo in the 32nd minute, but Al-Qadisiyah equalized just five minutes later through Julian Quinones (37′). Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang then netted the winning goal for Al-Qadisiyah in the 50th minute.
Al-Nassr’s attempt to close the gap at the top was thwarted, as they remained on 22 points in third place, 5 points behind second-placed Al-Ittihad and 6 points behind leaders Al-Hilal, who have yet to play this round.
On the other hand, Al-Qadisiyah climbed to fifth place with 22 points, level on points with Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab in fourth, separated only by goal difference.
Gharib’s Misses
Al-Nassr’s first real threat came quickly; Ronaldo took advantage of a defensive mistake to break into the penalty area within a minute. However, his low shot was saved by goalkeeper Quin Casteels.
Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Pinto Mateus responded with a brilliant save, denying Cameron Puertas’ shot from the edge of the penalty area, which threatened the home team’s goal.
Around the 15-minute mark, Gabriel Angelo wasted a one-on-one opportunity after receiving a brilliant through pass from Otavio. He misfired, sending the ball just wide of the right post as the goalkeeper charged out.
Abdulrahman Gharib also failed to capitalize on another well-placed pass from Sadio Mane, hesitating in front of goal and allowing Zakri’s defense to clear the danger.
Al-Nassr’s technical staff appealed for a penalty after Gharib was brought down, but Russian referee Sergei Ivanov waved away the protests.
In the clearest chance of the match, Gharib missed a golden opportunity to score in the 22nd minute, firing wide in front of an empty goal after a perfect cross from Mane.
After sustained pressure from Al-Nassr, Ronaldo capitalized on a mistake by the Al-Qadisiyah goalkeeper, who let the ball slip past him, allowing Ronaldo to score and give Al-Nassr the lead.
However, the home team’s celebration was short-lived, as Al-Qadisiyah equalized just five minutes later. Quinones fired a low shot into the net after a cross from Turki Al-Ammar.
Before the halftime whistle, Gharib came close to putting Al-Nassr back in front after receiving a perfect low cross from Sultan Al-Ghannam, but Nacho Fernandez was on hand to clear the ball off the goal line.
A Brief Lead
In the second half, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quickly made his mark by scoring the go-ahead goal with a header, following a precise cross from Quinones inside the penalty area.
Italian coach Stefano Pioli attempted to shift the momentum in search of an equalizer by making substitutions, bringing on Salem Al-Najdi and Ayman Yahya for Sultan Al-Ghannam and Gabriel Angelo, respectively.
However, Yahya suffered a serious injury shortly after coming on, forcing him to leave the pitch just five minutes later. Mohammed Maran replaced him, leaving Pioli with a wasted substitution.
In the final 30 minutes, Al-Nassr ramped up their offensive efforts in a bid to secure at least a point from their home game. However, the resolute defense of Al-Qadisiyah, which had recently returned to the Professional League, stood firm. In fact, Al-Nassr’s attacking push left gaps in their defense, nearly leading to a third goal for Al-Qadisiyah in the closing moments.
